Measuring and dispensing device for receptacles



March 21, 1933.

c. BLOMSTROM MEASURING AND DISPENSING DEVICE FOR RECEPIACLES Filed Oct.3, 1931 INVENTOR any?! is 2520/15 Tfid/f ATTORNEY Patented Mar. 21, 1933it CHARLES BLoiusrBoM, or n'mnmronislmmmsorn MEASURING AND DISPENSING-DEVICEFOR REGEPTACLES Application filed October 1931. Serial NbaLSeasos.z

This invention relates to a receptacle adapted to hold pulverulentfluent material, and to a dispensing and measuring means used inconnection with said receptacle. While the 5 device is capable of usewith many receptacles adapted to hold different materials, one par.-ticular use thereof is in connection with a coffee can or receptacle. 7V

Cofiee is now placed on the market in large 10 quantities, the coffeebeing ground and contained in tin cans or receptacles, the same usuallybeing provided with a removablelid. In the use of the can and coffee,the user usually takes the coffee from the can with a 1 spoon andtransfers the same to a cofle'e pot or percolator. This method oftransferring.

and measuring the coffee is not accurate and frequently results inspilling the coffee about the place where it is handled.

for accurately measuring and transferring the. coffee to the cofi'ee potor percolator, which can conveniently be used in connection with thecoffee can or receptacle.

It is an object of this invention, therefore, to provide a deviceadapted tobe placed on the receptacle when the lid is removed, withwhich cooperates a measuring device by means of which the coffeecanbemeasured and transferred to the coffee pot or percolator. i

It is a further object of the invention to provide a member adapted tofit the recep tacle as a lid, said member converging to a comparativelysmall discharge outlet, thus being frusto-conical in form, together witha measuring device adapted to fit said discharge outlet, and having amovable valve adapted to be opened for the device to receive the coifeeand to be closed for the'deviceto retain the coffee while it is beingtransferred. It isa further object of the invention to provide such ameasuring device having means for varying its capacity, and alsopreferably for centering the means on the tube of a percolator coffeeholder.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will be fullyset forth in the following description made in connection with theaccompanying drawin in which e 1 It is desirable to have some simplemeans like reference characters refer to similar parts throughouttheseveral views and in Fig. 1 is a view'in side elevation, showingthecolfee can or receptacle with thedispensingmember thereon, some partsbeing broken away and others shown in vertical section; Fig. '2 is 'aview injside elevation of the discharge member with the measuring deviceothers shown in vertical'section;

Fig. 3 is avertical section through the measuring device taken on line3-3 of Fig. 1, as indicated by the arrows, i e

Fig. 4,- is a view in sideelevation of the measuringdev ice with someparts in vertical section showing the same in connection with "therein,some parts being broken" away and 60 a percolator receptacle shownin'central vertical section; v I Fig. 5 is ahorlzontal section taken online 7 55 ofFig'. 3, as indicated by the arrows;

and

Fig. 6 is a view-in side elevation of thereceptacle, discharge memberand measuring device, illustrating one-method of use thereof.

Referring to-the' drawing, a receptacle Sis shown, and while thereceptacle might be variously shaped, in the embodiment of the inventionillustrated it is shown as a cylindrical vessel having an open upper endand so a bead 8a pressed outward thereon a short distance from saidupperend; Such a receptacle or can'is now commonly used for marketingcofiee in ground form". The receptacle is commonly provided with a lid(not shown) I which fits over the upper end of the receptacle, the loweredge of the lid usually engaging the bead 8a. 7

In accordance with the present invention, a member 9 is provided, thesame being shown as having a bead or rim 9a formed adjacent "orcover 10is provided of cup shape, adapted V to fit over the portion 90 to closemember 9.

close the open lower endof casing 12 and.

this valve is shown as of conical shape and as being made of sheetmaterial, s'othat it has a conical under surface. A rod 14 is securedcentr'allyto the upperend of valve 13 and extends axially through thecasing 12 and through the upper end thereof, the upper end thereof beingthreaded as shown at 1411. A handle in the shape of a'knob 15 isthreaded on rod 14, having a reduced lower portion thus'forming a flangeon member 15. Acompression coil spring-16, engages said flange andsurrounds the rod 14 between member 15 and the top of casing 12, thesame fitting over a cylindrical projection 12f'on the top "of casing 12.being rotatable thereon, the lower edge of said A. shell 17 is fittedove'r casing 12,

shell engaging a bead 120 pressed outwardly on casing 12. The shell '17has a slot 176; extending diagonally or helically thereof and spacednotches 17 b are formed in said shell communicating with saidslot. Thecasing 12 also has a slot 12d extending diagonally or helically thereofin a directionopposite to the slot 17a and slot 1261 also has spacednotches 12@ extending from the side thereof. A threaded pin 18extendsradially from the side of a cup-shaped partition 19 slidablelongitudinally in casing 12, pin 18 projecting through slots 12d and17a. A knob 20 is threaded on pin 18 and has a curved flange 21 adaptedto fit tight against the side of the shell 17. j

In operation, when a can of coffee is received, the lid furnishedtherewith will be removed and the member 9 will be placed thereon andthe flange 9b willfit over the top of the can 8. The cap 10 may beplaced on the small end of member 9 or the end may be closed byinserting a measuring device 11 as shown in Fig. 2. WVhen it is desiredto transfer coffee from the can to the coffee pot or percolatoig'themember 19 will be adjusted to give the desired measurement; Member 19 ican be adjusted by loosening the knob 20 and then sliding member 19 inthe casing 12, shell 17 revolving on casing 12. The slots12e and 172)are provided to designate fixed points for the member 119, so thatcertain definite amounts will be measured. The pin 18 and disk 19 can'beheld in four diiferent positions, thus giving four different'measurements. hen the disk 19 is in its lowest position with screw 18in the lowermostnotches 12c and "opening will, of by the pin 18'.

17 b, the device may measure substantially a tablespoonful. With thedisk 19 positioned as desired, the measuring device 11 will be placed inthe top of-member 9 and the receptacle and the measuring device will beinverted as shown in Fig. 6. If desired, the same can be inverted andpressed down on a surface 22 forming the top of the table or otherobject. Rod 14 is thus pressed toward the open end of casing 12 andvalve 13 moves away from the edge of the portion 12a,

coffee or other material will now fall into the casing-12 andthe'sam'ewill be filled from the disk 19 to the bottom thereof. When thecasing is filled, the operator lifts the measuring device or releasesthe pressure on rod 14 and valve 13 closes, due to'tlie action of spring16. If desired, the operatorcan pull outwardly on the'knob 15-to'be'sure that valve 13 is tightly closed and not held partly openbyany material between the same and theedge of the portion 12a. Themeasuring devicell is now removedfrominember 9 -and;transferred to thecoffee pot or percolator. If the cofiee is to be discharged into -apercolator, the measuring device is placed thereover as shown in Fig.4and the under surface-of valve 13 forms a. centering device incooperation with the tube 23 of the percolator holder '24.

v The operator now presses'downwardly on the knob 15' and valve 13is-again opened and the coffee discharged into the receptacle '24. Thecoffee is equally distributed by the conical 1 valve 13 and falls to thebottom of the receptacle 24in the form' of a uniformly distributedpile'or ring. After the coffee is discharged from the device '11, thelatter can be again placed in the top of member 9 if desired and beready for the next operation.

The washer or flange 21 acts to close any opening which might extendthrough the intersectlon of the slots 17a and 12d. This The knob orhandle 15 can be screwed more or less on the rod 14 and the tension ofthe spring 16' thus varied.

From the above description .it is seen that applicanthas provided quitea simple and efficient device which can readily be placedon thecommercial coffee can receptacle or canis- 'ter and by means of whichthe coffee can be dispensed and transferred to the 'percolator or coffeepot without the danger of being spilled. At the same time an accurateamount by this method coffeewill be saved. The device is simpleand'efiicient in construction and can be easily and inexpensively made.The parts are few and the device will be quite durable. The same hasbeen amply demonstrated in actual practice and found to be verysuccessfuland 61 5181611 5.

It will, of course, be understood that various changes maybe made in theform, de-

course, be practically closed I thus forming an-opening into saidcasing. The

of coffee is measured and transferred and tails, arrangement andproportions of the parts, without departing from the scope of applicantsinvention, which generally stated consists in a device capable ofcarrying out the objects above set forth, in the parts and Vcombinations of parts disclosed and defined in the appended claims.

'What is claimed is j 1. A measuring device having in combination, acylindrical casing having an open lower end and a closed upper end, avalve for opening and closing said lower end, a shell on said casing androtatable thereon, a partition in said casing slidable longitudinallythereof, said casing having a slot extending diagonally thereof, saidshell having a slot extending diagonally in a direction opposite to saidfirst mentioned slot, a pin secured to said partition and adapted toproj ect through the casing and shell at the intersection of said slots,said shell having means indicating difi'erent positions of saidpartition,-and means for holding said partition in one position wherebydifierent amounts may be measured by said device.

2. A measuring device having in combination, a cylindrical casing havingan open lower end and a closed upper end, a valve for opening andclosing said lower end, a shell on said casing and rotatable thereon, apartition in said casing slidable longitudinally thereof, said casingand shell having slots therethrough, means secured to said partition exvtending through said slots for moving saidpartition, and means forholding'said partition in fixed position.

casing, and means attached to said partition and supported by a wallofsaid casing for adjusting said partition longitudinally of the casing. jH .7

CHARLES BLOMS TBOM.

for controlling the mouthof said casing,

3. A measuring device comprising a cas- 7 ing having a mouth adapted tofit the dis charge opening of a receptacle to receive materialtherefrom, a valve for controlling passage of material through saidmouth and movable into said receptacle to open the mouth, resilientmeans normally holding said valve in closed position, a partition saidcasing movable to diflerent positions for variably measuring material,and means carried by said casing for adjusting said partition.

4. A measuring device having in combina tion, a casing including a mouthadapted to fit a receptacle, said casing being otherwise closed, a valveat said mouth and movable longitudinally of said casing outwardly beyondthe same, a rod secured to said valve and extending axially through saidcasing, a handle secured to the end of said rod, a spring associatedwith said handle for holding said valve in closed position, a partitionin said casing through which said rod passes, and means extendingthrough said casing for moving said partition to diflerent positions inthe casing and holding the same in said positions.

5. A measuring device having in combination, a casing providing a mouth,a valve

